Review of Dear Evan Hansen at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

First performed in 2015, Dear Evan Hansen remains the musical of the modern teen's life, showcasing all the troubles in that generation of popularity and social media. And as this long UK tour of the West End and before that Broadway smash hits the Royal & Derngate, it offers a troubling mirror on modern society.

Before seeing this show, I had avoided all knowledge of the story Dear Evan Hansen tells, and with that came a joyful voyage of discovery as the captivating story evolved. Therefore, if you have also managed to avoid the story, skip the next paragraph and enjoy a new story to be found.

Evan Hansen is a troubled teen who struggles to fit into society and cannot find friends. As a result, his therapist has suggested that he write letters to himself, "Dear Evan Hansen." When one of these letters is found on the body of an equally troubled teen, Evan finds himself spiralling into a world of fictitious friendship, which gets increasingly out of control.

The story told in Steven Levenson's book and through Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's music and lyrics is very clever and absorbing. The audience can identify with different allegiances within the excellent cast of characters, whether it be the troubled Evan, the pressurised mother, Heidi, the sulky Zoe, or Connor, the equally troubled teen.

The story lives in the modern world, with social media behind many of the complex parts of the tale, and this was brought to the stage, never overpoweringly, cleverly, with Ravi Deepres' excellent video design. Also, Adam Penford directs lightly, emphasising character rather than movement; this is a very still production with often little character movement on the stage. The songs here are part of why this happens; many are just gentle ballads, good, but not with the ability for big stage numbers. This show is a non-showy stage musical, and some may find disappointment in it, but like Blood Brothers, this is a play at its heart that just happens to be told with songs.

The performances will not disappoint. Ryan Kopel's stunning performance as Evan, complete with all the nervous ticks of such a person, leads an excellent cast. He also translates these into musical performances using his superb vocals.

Alice Fearn is also immaculate as Ewan's mother, Heidi, primarily via her troubled solos and perhaps her best, So Big/So Small. Equally full of emotion are the parents of Connor, dealing with their impossible situation in very different ways. Richard Hurst, as Larry Murphy, is distant at times, while, as understudy as the mother, Jessica Lim's Cynthia, embodies the emotion visibly for the couple.

As Connor, Killian Thomas Lefevre is superb, emitting both the anger and high emotion his character is feeling, coupled with some brilliant comic timing during scenes portraying the fictional emails that Evan and Jared (a brilliantly funny performance from Tom Dickerson) create. Finally, from the cast, Lauren Conroy gives a captivating performance as Connor's sister, Zoe, who is confused and often distant as she deals with the many emotions life throws at her.

Dear Evan Hansen is an excellent show, but it falls short of my top mark due to a slight lack of musical variety and a somewhat simple ending that is too perfect following events. Also, although it has a solid and eventful story, it feels overlong by the end of its 140-minute running time. Despite this, though, Dear Evan Hansen comes highly recommended for its ability to tell a relevant and emotional story well.

A captivating musical play which you very much should find now.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 14th January 2025 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

Dear Evan Hansen is on stage at Royal & Derngate until Saturday, 18th January 2025.

For further details about the Royal & Derngate and to book tickets, see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Mark Brenner

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